The Only Thing that Matters Now
by Lankybastard
Summary: Daryl has had enough of death. All it's ever done to him his destroy his morale. But one day he meets a peculiar man who offers him an ultimatum. Daryl can either stay with the group that has been there with him since the beginning, or leave with the strange man that says he can stop all of this pain and suffering.


Prologue

It was just supposed to be a simple rescue mission. Beth and Carol, for the two officers that they held hostage. A simple business deal. No one had to get hurt. No one had to die.

When Beth stabbed Dawn, it was too late.

The black barrel of the gun was quickly applied to the side of Beth's skull, and the trigger was pulled just a moment later.

Daryl let out a cry of anguish, immediately grabbing his cross bow and fired; he ended Dawns life.

After that, everything went numb in Daryl's body. Everyone stood in silence for several minutes, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Daryl, being the first to move, slowly walked over to the pale, motionless body of the girl he had befriended all those weeks ago. Daryl kneeled down and gently lifted Beth. Her eyes were still open, portraying no life within them whatsoever. Daryl's shaky hand closed her eyelids.

Daryl felt the same emotion he had felt when Merle and Hershel died. Daryl wouldn't describe it as sadness though. He'd probably describe it as a mix between anger, vengeance, and regret. Sadness was not an emotion you could feel nowadays. Otherwise, you'd end up dead.

Daryl didn't tear his eyes away from Beth's face as he walked outside of the hospital. He took in every detail of her face so that he would never forget anything about her. He heard Maggie let out a scream that anyone within a ten mile radius could hear. Daryl didn't want to let go of Beth. He wanted to hold onto her forever, keep her safe until the walkers stopped roaming the Earth. But, he set her down on the pavement as Maggie scrambled to her sister. Glenn tried to console her, but he too had tears that pinpricked his eyes.

The light that Daryl had seen at the end of the tunnel, had gone dim.

...

They had gotten out of Atlanta as soon as they could. They had taken the police cars that the hospital had used. Daryl followed the car that Rick was driving. They needed to find a good place to lay Beth to rest. Daryl was driving one of the cars with Carol, who was laying down in the back seat.

Daryl's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. A million thoughts were going through his head. He thought about how he first met Beth on the farm. He remembered how she would sing for the group, and how sweet her voice sounded. He grimaced when he recalled how she hugged him when they had lost the group. Daryl had been upset and thought that everyone must've died at the prison fight. She had hugged him with such a feather light tenderness, that it could be compared to an autumn leaf falling from a tree, and gently caressing the ground. Coming from a broken family that had never showed him any kindness or love, it was the best thing Daryl had felt in months. Oh how he wished he could have hugged her one last time before she died, just to feel that special compassionate feeling.

A lone tear rolled down his cheek. He considered letting it continue it's course down his face, but quickly whipped it so that Carol, wouldn't see.

"She's with her father." Carol said quietly, cautiously.

Daryl set his jaw and kept quiet. Beth was with her father, that much had to be true...but she was just so young. She was just becoming an adult that every child wants to be. To take the life of someone so pure was to ensure that you'd be going to hell; no exceptions.

Daryl had never played chess, but he knew how to play it. He pictured himself and the Devil sitting there, with the chess board of life and death. The Devil would laugh every time he captured one of Daryl's pieces. Those pieces represented someone who was close to him, or Something that Daryl valued. The Devil would sneer and cackle as he stole one of Daryl's pawns. That first pawn, represented Merle. Though it was just a pawn, it was still a piece of Daryl's court, and he would eventually need that pawn back. Once again, the Devil had stolen Daryl's knight...

Beth.

Daryl wasn't much for the whole religious thing. In fact, if such a hell existed on this Earth, he for sure believed that God had turned his back on the world. But, for once in his life he wanted heaven to exist. If the Bible had said that heaven was paradise, he wanted it to be so. He imagined that Beth was cloaked in white and she was hugging her father. They both would live in a house made of silver and gold, and they would never experience pain or suffering ever again. Beth would have a grand piano that she could play all day and she would sing her heart out all day, and everyone would gather around that piano, just to hear her sing. Daryl liked that image in his head, and he firmly believed that Beth had made it to heaven.

Carol slowly sat up and placed a careful hand on Daryl's shoulder, trying to comfort him, but Daryl tensed up and shook her off.

"Daryl...you haven't said a w-"

"I'm fine."

Carol pursed her lips and said nothing more.

...

They had been driving all night, and found a small hillside which overlooked a pond that was about the size of a house plot. No walkers were lurking around the area, so this seemed like the perfect place to let Beth rest in peace.

Maggie was like a robot. She was making a small grave cross for her sister out of sticks and string. Michonne was quietly talking to her, but it seemed like Maggie was zone out.

Glenn helped Daryl dig a hole into the ground.

When everything was finished, the body of Beth Greene was lowered into the ground. A white sheet had been wrapped around her body, covering her face. Everyone gathered around the grave and gazed down into the hole. They were all silent, except for the sobbing that came from Maggie. Daryl vacantly stared at the cloaked body, focusing solely on where her face would've been.

The pain in his chest returned when he thought about the girl that was in the ground. He didn't like the idea of her being alone in the cold dirt, with people and walkers walking all over her from above.

But then again, Daryl pictured Beth telling him that she was grown up, that she was mature, and that she could take care of herself. He remembered when she wanted to have her first drink, and how she had found a bottle of peach Schnapps. No ones first drink should be peach Schnapps.

He was glad that she had tried moonshine now.

"Lord...please watch over Beth...she never deserved this, none of our passed friends did." Rick murmured.

A thick layer of sorrow laid over the area. Everyone nodded their heads. No one said anything else.


End file.
